AICE Marine Midterm (CH1-2)

Infer information about an atom from the periodic table (# protons, electrons, etc.)

The atomic number gives the number of protons and electrons in a neutral atom, while the atomic mass minus the atomic number gives the number of neutrons; valence electrons are found in the outermost shell and determine bonding behavior.

Describe and differentiate types of bonds

Covalent bonds involve sharing electrons between nonmetals, ionic bonds involve transferring electrons between a metal and a nonmetal, and hydrogen bonds are weak attractions between polar molecules.

Describe properties of water

Water is a universal solvent, shows cohesion and adhesion, has a high specific heat capacity, and is less dense as a solid than as a liquid.

Describe how polarity and hydrogen bonds contribute to water’s unique properties

Water’s polarity creates partial charges that allow hydrogen bonds to form, giving water its cohesion, high heat capacity, solvent ability, and lower density as ice.

Know how temperature and salinity affect density

As temperature decreases and salinity increases, the density of seawater increases.

Know factors that affect salinity

Salinity decreases with precipitation and runoff and increases with evaporation.

Know factors that affect the amount of gasses in the ocean, specifically oxygen and carbon dioxide

Gas concentration is affected by temperature, pressure, salinity, turbulence, and biological processes such as photosynthesis and respiration.

Describe how the ocean is mixed at the surface

The surface ocean is mixed by wind, wave action, currents, and turbulence, creating fairly uniform temperature and salinity.

Describe how the ocean may have layers (stratification)

Stratification occurs when differences in temperature, salinity, and density create layers such as the thermocline, halocline, and pycnocline.

Know the pH scale, how it’s measured (contrast methods), and environmental factors that may affect pH

pH measures hydrogen ion concentration on a logarithmic scale and can be tested with litmus paper, universal indicator, or a pH probe, while increased CO₂ lowers ocean pH.

Describe how temperature, salinity, oxygen, pressure, density change with increasing ocean depth

With depth, temperature and oxygen generally decrease at first, pressure and density increase, salinity usually increases, and oxygen rises again below the oxygen minimum layer.

KNOW THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A TSUNAMI AND HOW IT IS CREATED

A tsunami is a long-wavelength wave caused by sudden underwater tectonic plate movement at convergent boundaries, usually from an earthquake, and it increases in height as it reaches shallow coastal water.

KNOW WHICH LITORAL ZONE HABITATS ARE A MIXTURE OF FRESH AND SALT WATER

Estuaries are littoral zone habitats that contain a mixture of fresh water and salt water, known as brackish water.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES IN SALINITY BETWEEN BRACKISH, BRINE, SALTWATER (OCEAN) AND FRESH H2O

Fresh water has little to no salt, brackish water has low to moderate salinity, ocean water averages about 35 ppt, and brine has extremely high salinity above normal seawater.

WHAT DETERMINES THE TYPE OF LITORAL ZONE FOUND AT A COASTLINE

The type of littoral zone is determined by the geology of the adjacent land and the amount of exposure to erosion and weathering by the ocean.

COMPARE/CONTRAST STABILITY OF SHORELINE TYPES

Rocky shores are the most stable, sandy shores are unstable due to moving sand, and muddy shores are the least exposed to erosion and therefore relatively stable.

COMPARE/CONTRAST DISTRIBUTION OF MARINE LIFE BETWEEN SHORELINE TYPES

Rocky shores support attached organisms, sandy shores support burrowing organisms, and muddy shores support organisms adapted to fine, soft sediments rich in organic material.

WHICH SHORE LINE TYPE HAS A SUBSTRATE THAT MIGRATES, WHICH HAS A BOTTOM THAT MOVES THE LEAST

Sandy shores have a migrating substrate, while rocky shores have a bottom that moves the least and provides a stable surface.

WHAT KIND OF ANIMALS CAN BE FOUND LIVING AMONG THE MANGROVES

Mangroves provide habitat for algae, oysters, crabs, barnacles, sponges, and many juvenile fish species.

COMPARE/CONTRAST THE SUBSTRATES (BOTTOMS) OF THE DIFFERENT HABITAT TYPES

Rocky shores have hard, stable rock, sandy shores have loose, shifting sand, and muddy shores have fine silt mixed with organic material.

KNOW EVIDENCE FOR PLATE TECTONICS

Evidence includes the fit of continents, similar fossils found on different continents, and magnetic striping on the ocean floor showing seafloor spreading.

DESCRIBE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PLATE BOUNDARIES

Convergent boundaries involve plates moving together, divergent boundaries involve plates moving apart, and transform boundaries involve plates sliding past one another.

UPPER LAYERS OF THE EARTH’S PROFILE (NAMES) – KNOW WHAT THEY ARE LIKE

The lithosphere is the rigid outer layer made of tectonic plates, and it floats on the asthenosphere, which is a semi-molten, flowing layer of the mantle.

HOW CAN INLAND EROSION AFFECT THE LITTORAL ZONE? WHICH HABITATS ARE AFFECTED MOST

Inland erosion increases sediment runoff into coastal areas, most strongly affecting estuaries, deltas, and muddy shores by increasing sediment deposition and turbidity.

WHAT KIND OF ANIMALS CAN BE FOUND LIVING AMONG THE ROCKY SHORES? SANDY SHORES? MUDDY SHORES?

Rocky shores support mollusks, algae, sponges, and barnacles; sandy shores support burrowing worms, crabs, and clams; muddy shores support organisms adapted to soft, organic-rich sediments.

HOW DOES A TSUNAMI CHANGE AS IT CROSSES THE OCEAN

In deep water a tsunami travels very fast with low amplitude, but as it reaches shallow coastal water it slows down and increases greatly in height.

WHY WOULD SEDIMENTS IN A RIVER SETTLE TO THE BOTTOM

As river velocity decreases, suspended particles lose energy and settle to the bottom through sedimentation.

KNOW WHAT FEATURE EACH BOUNDARY TYPE CAN CREATE

Convergent boundaries create trenches, volcanoes, and earthquakes; divergent boundaries create mid-ocean ridges and new seafloor; transform boundaries create earthquakes.

DESCRIBE THE ROOT STRUCTURE OF MANGROVES

Mangroves have extensive root systems including pneumatophores that obtain oxygen from the air and trap sediments to stabilize the coastline.

HOW DOES SIZE AFFECT RATE OF SEDIMENTATION OF PARTICLES IN WATER

Larger and heavier particles settle faster, while smaller particles remain suspended longer in the water.

DESCRIBE A RIVER DELTA AND WHY IT FORMS AND HOW IT CHANGES AS IT AGES

A delta forms when a river slows as it enters a larger body of water, causing sediments to settle and build a fan-shaped structure that grows and shifts over time as channels form and erode.

DESCRIBE HOW THE DISTRIBUTION OF WARM WATER IN THE PACIFIC CHANGES DURING AN EL NIÑO

During El Niño, warm equatorial water spreads eastward toward South America due to reversed wind patterns.

DESCRIBE HOW UPWELLING IS CREATED AND THE NATURE OF THE CURRENT

Upwelling occurs when winds push surface water away from the coast, allowing cold, nutrient-rich deep water to rise to the surface.

HOW DOES THE DISTRIBUTION OF NUTRIENTS IN THE PACIFIC CHANGE DURING EL NIÑO? WHY?

Nutrient availability decreases because upwelling stops, preventing nutrient-rich deep water from reaching the surface.

HOW DOES EL NIÑO AFFECT THE POPULATIONS OF FISH IN THE PACIFIC? HOW ABOUT CORALS?

Fish populations decline due to reduced primary productivity, and corals suffer bleaching and death due to elevated water temperatures.

HOW CAN THE OUTFLOW OF A RIVER AFFECT THE SALINITY AND TURBIDITY OF THE COASTAL OCEAN?

River outflow lowers salinity and increases turbidity by adding freshwater and suspended sediments to coastal waters.

WHAT CREATES THE TIDES? DESCRIBE HOW THEY DIFFER AND THE FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT THEM

Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun and Earth’s rotation, and their range varies based on lunar position, coastline shape, slope, weather, and atmospheric pressure.

HOW DO THE TIDES COORDINATE WITH THE PHASES OF THE MOON?

Spring tides occur during new and full moons with the greatest tidal range, while neap tides occur during quarter moons with the smallest range.